Coal Prices Forecast: Long Term, 2018 to 2030 | Data and Charts

Since January 2016, when the price of coal reached a 10-year low, coal prices have rebounded by about 100 percent.

Several factors have contributed to this price rebound. First, as part of China's effort to reduce harmful emissions the world's largest coal consumer and producer, reduced its domestic production and increased its imports. Second, the Indian coal industry faced hard times as miner strikes led to a crisis within the domestic industry, sending coal prices soaring.

Leading international agencies have contributed contrasting perspectives on the future of coal prices:

The World Bank in its October 2017 commodity forecast report estimated that the price of coal will decrease in 2018 to $70/mt from $85/mt in 2017, with slow price growth beyond 2018.

The IMF in July 2017 detailed an alternate scenario under which prices would decline in 2018 to $78.8/mt and still further in 2019 to $74/mt.